how to make tortillas?

Question

i used to work with some people who immigrated from mexico, and they would share tortillas with me, i would buy store tortillas to copy the recipe, but as everyone knows homemade is always better then store brands. so that is my question, how to make tortillas.

Answer 1

Things You'll Need:

Cast iron pan
Large bowl
Large spatula
Above ingredients
Slightly damp towel
2 cups Instant Corn Masa Mix
2 tsp. salt
1 ¼ cup lukewarm water


Steps:

1Step OneIn a large bowl, evenly mix the masa and the salt.

2Step TwoIn ¼ cup increments, add the water to the masa mixture. Using a large wooden spoon or your hands, make sure to thoroughly incorporate the water after each addition of water.

3Step ThreeWhen you have added all of the water, the dough should come together in a slightly tacky dough that forms into a ball.

4Step FourCover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for approximately 30 minutes.

5Step FiveOnce the dough has rested, evenly sprinkle a small amount of cornmeal onto your work space. Spread a small amount of flour onto your rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.

6Step SixForm the dough into a roll shape. Divide the dough into 20 equal portions and roll each portion into a neat golfball-sized ball.

7Step SevenTake 1 ball of dough and roll it out to a thickness of 1/8-inch. When rolling the balls out, roll 2 to 3 times one way, then turn the dough a quarter turn and roll an additional 2 to 3 times. This ensures that the tortillas stay as round as possible.

8Step EightOnce you have rolled one tortilla out, store it under a towel so the dough doesn’t dry out.

9Step NineHeat a large cast iron pan or tortilla griddle over medium heat. Heat the pan for at least 5 minutes before cooking a tortilla on it. This ensures that the tortilla will cook evenly.

10Step TenWhen the pan has been pre-heated, place a tortilla onto the dry heated pan. Almost immediately, the tortilla will develop bubbles on the surface and the wet-looking dough will begin to dry out. Once you see these bubbles, flip the tortilla over and press down with a large spatula.

11Step Eleven After approximately 45 seconds of pressing, flip the tortilla again and press again for 20 seconds. The bubbles on the underside should have started to brown.

12Step Twelve Once both sides of the tortilla have browned bubbles (and this should not take longer than 1 minute), take the cooked tortilla off the pan and store it under a kitchen towel. The towel will absorb the steam from the tortilla, but it will keep humidity near the tortilla which ensures that the tortilla will not dry out.

13Step Thirteen Continue cooking the remaining tortillas.

14Step Fourteen You can store the tortillas under a towel until it is time to serve the tortillas.

Tips & Warnings"

If the dough is too crumbly, add more water in tablespoon increments.

If the dough is too sticky, add more masa in tablespoon increments. The dough should be tacky, but not stick to your hands.

In order to make perfect tortillas, it’s essential to use a cast iron pan or tortilla griddle because the cast iron will evenly cook the tortilla and keep an even heat through cooking all of the tortillas.

You can purchase a tortilla griddle, called a comal, in a well-stocked kitchen supply store. A comal is made of cast iron and is essentially a cast iron pan without the sides.

You also might want to purchase a tortilla press which will evenly press tortillas to the perfect thickness and eliminates the need for rolling the tortillas into perfect circles. You can also purchase a tortilla press at a well-stocked kitchen supply store.

You can buy instant corn masa mix at a well-stocked grocery store or at a Mexican grocery store.

If you can, try to buy fresh masa harina to make corn tortillas.

If you use fresh masa harina, you don’t need to make the dough described above but simply roll out the masa harina and cook them according to the above directions.

Answer 2

Corn Tortilla Recipe (Tortillas de Maiz)

Corn tortillas are made from a special dough called masa or masa de maize. Masa is made from dried corn that has been treated by boiling and soaking the kernels in a dilute mixture of slaked lime (a type of pickling lime often called cal). This process softens and loosens the tough outer skin of the corn kernel and frees up nutrients, niacin among others, to be utilized by the body. After the corn kernels are treated and thoroughly rinsed, they are ground into a thick starchy paste that becomes the dough called masa and is the basis for making tortillas, tamales.

Basic Recipe (10-12 tortillas)

2 cups Instant Corn Masa Mix
2 tsp. salt
1-1/4 cup water (tepid)
Step #1 - Corn Masa

Options available for obtaining the corn masa from which corn tortillas are made:

The most convenient option is to use one of the instant corn masa mixes.
Decide on the type and source of corn masa you will use. To begin, try using an instant corn masa mix. The most widely available brands are Quaker Oats Masa Harina or Maseca Instant Corn Masa Mix. They usually come in 2 or 4 lb. bags and only require the addition of water and salt.



Step #2 - Mixing the Dough

Blend the dry mix and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Gradually stir in water to form a stiff crumbly dough. Knead the dough smooth with your hands for 4-5 minutes. If any dry mix remains in the bottom of the bowl or the dough cracks and crumbles as you work it, add a little more water, one teaspoon at a time. (If too much water is added, the dough may become sticky. In this case, add a little more masa mix.) The dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl and should cleanly roll in your hands. This can be somewhat of an art, and with practice you will recognize the right consistency. Let the dough “rest” covered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.



Step #3 - Forming the Tortillas

Cover tortilla press surfaces with plastic wrap or wax paper.

Remove masa from the refrigerator and pinch out a golf ball sized portion. Keep the rest of the dough covered to prevent drying out. Roll into a ball. Place the ball of dough in the center of your tortilla press and close. Apply moderate pressure to the handle, squeezing it several times to produce the desired thinness. (Thinner tortillas cook faster, are more flexible, and work well as a wrap for fillings. Thicker tortillas are chewier and more satisfying to eat out of the hand, like bread.)

Carefully open the tortilla press, peel the tortilla off the plastic wrap and place it immediately on a preheated (medium - medium high) comal or griddle. It should sizzle softly.



Step #4 - Cooking the Tortillas

The tortilla will begin to look "dry" or small bubbles may appear on its surface within 20-30 seconds.

Flip and cook 45 seconds more. (If the tortilla sticks to the comal, it is either not ready to flip or the comal is not hot enough.) Flip back over and cook for an another 15-20 seconds to finish. The tortilla is done when it slightly puffs from the steam inside, or when all appearance of wetness is gone. Scattered brown spots on the tortilla are normal; homemade tortillas do not have the even color of store bought. Dark brown or burnt spots indicate that the comal is too hot and the heat should be slightly reduced.

Remove tortilla from the comal and place in a covered dish, tortilla warmer, or a basket lined with a napkin or towel. Keep the cooked tortillas covered at all times while you cook the rest of the batch to prevent drying out.

Do not overcook the tortillas. Cook them just enough to appear completely dry and to puff slightly from the steam. Perfectly cooked tortillas are flexible, tender, and slightly flaky in texture. Making tortillas is an art, and it takes practice to get a feel for the process. Enjoy them while still warm!

The link below are tortilla pressers at a resonable price.

Answer 3

I know some native americans from the To'onoodham reservation and they make tortillas there too, from what I understand they use water, flour and oil in the mixture (mixing by hand into a dough), the dough is patted out by hand and then cooked on a outdoor oven. These are some gooood tortillas and the tortillas are similiar to the mexican tortillas, but thinner. Good luck!!

Answer 4

Purchase a tortilla press. The instruction book comes with recipes. Its very simple!

Answer 5

Most of the Mexicans I know make flour tortillas. Do you want to make flour or corn tortillas.

Tom's right. If you want to make corn tortillas you will most likely need a press or a Mexican grandmother to teach you the technique for handmade ones.

Answer 6

buy a package of dry masa harina (for corn tortillas). to a cup, add a tablespoon of veg oil and just enough water till it forms a dry-ish ball. seperate into about 6 smaller balls and roll them out between sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper. you can try to do it by hand, but it's a lot harder that way.

Answer 7

It's just flour, salt, lard and water-but the lady that taught me didn't measure so I can't give you measurements, I just know the right amount.
However-a lot of stores now carry a mix like Bisquik that you just add water-can't remember the name-in the mexican section-and it's pretty good.